I heard Daniel and Patricia Ellsberg speak yesterday, and it was stunning.

[mahina]

The The Coral Ballroom at the Hilton Hawaiian Village was packed, and it was a big room to fill. There were a couple of empty seats when my friend and I entered. Later on one of the sponsored announced that 580 people attended, which is a lot on a sunny Saturday morning.

After a showing of "The Most Dangerous Man in America", which tells the story of Ellsberg's decision to leak the Pentagon papers and the outcomes of that decision, we had a mediated q and a.

The Ellsbergs were poised, thoughtful, articulate, gentle but very persuasive. These people risked everything...Daniel was at risk of spending his entire life in jail. They were courageous and principled, and they are still both of those things.

If they come to your town, I'd urge you to go see them. I gave up a morning of paddleboarding to see them and felt a little regret, until I walked in the door. Watch the film if you can. It's as urgent now as it was when it was filmed.

Secrecy, and any law to protect government secrecy, needs our immediate action. President Obama won't take the path we want him too, with all the other forces pushing him so hard, unless we clearly fight for what we need from him.

Act locally. That was one message. And when asked if we might be successful reaching out to tea partiers about war and the debt, the message was Yes! Excellent idea! There is common ground to be tilled, not between us and the shysters hustling those people, but between us and the people who believe in 1. the constitution, really, 2. including defense spending in deficit reduction, 3. publicly financed campaigns to eliminate the corrupt system we both know is running much of the show.

I think this is the most important idea I've heard in years, and you'd better believe the puppeteers behind Beck, Limbaugh, and all are worried we will make common cause with those people.

Or we could just throw rocks at Obama.

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. Everyone in the pic looks over 50.

Were there any younger people there?

Do young people even know who he is and what he did and the significance of what he did?

How many people in the current administration know who he is, what he did, and the significance of same?

I'm thinking, "not many".

[mahina]

2. Good point- there were probably 25-30 young people there,

young people in law school, some hip-hop urban kids, but mostly it was grey heads.

My head is getting grey and I was around for this stuff, but was just a kid. I didn't know a LOT of what went on, which I learned in the film.

The way the Washington Post stepped up and started publishing when the NYT was immobilized by the govt, and the way the other papers stepped up after that...the govt said that the information could not be stopped, that it was like 'herding bees'.

The ACLU is gearing up for a big fight against any secrecy bill, so if you don't want this situation to become permanent, I would urge you to contact your local chapter and give them what you are able.

The tickets were only 5 bucks, and the event was sponsored by a big law firm here. Some of the old futs came out and talked about what they were doing at the time and it was an eye opener. There is more to each of us than meets the eye, that is for sure.

[Smarmie Doofus]

3. 580 is a good turnout.

Esp. when it's not a freebee.

I'm not sure if he's been here ( NYC) yet. If not, I'll go when he shows.


I think young people are not there is 'cause he's being gradually written out of history. Consumer culture disdains antiwarriors. Kids have no idea who he is.

Everyday in this country is Armed Forces day of one kind or another. Any excuse to glorify the military. We need an insitutionalized memorial to Ellsberg and the millions of others who risked everything to end that war.

[virgogal]

4. My son had his wedding reception there. Happy memories.

[midnight]

5. Thank you for sharing this.... I found this video too...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aSbmRHqKL4&feature=related

Sibel Edmonds, Daniel Ellsberg talk about silencing the truth.